1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to body garments and more particularly to lower body garments and methods for producing same that are formed from an integrally knit tubular sleeve either with or without garment linings.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Knitted body garments such as conventional pantyhose are usually formed of first and second circularly knit tubes disposed in a side-by-side relationship wherein the tubes are slit, sewn and thereby joined to form a panty portion and separate leg portions. Other knitted body garments are constructed by cutting garment sections from knit fabric and thereafter sewing those sections together to form the finished garment. More recent panty construction involves the provision of a circularly knit seamless tubular garment and thereafter cutting and shaping the garment to form a panty having a minimum number of seams. Examples of this technique are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,022,240, 5,163,306 and 5,398,346.
Other knitted garments for leisurewear made from knit fabric have been available; however, these garments are usually constructed by the traditional cut and sew procedure, thus involving considerable fabrication time and, in many cases, a decided waste of raw material.
With preferred lower body garment construction to include a circularly knit seamless tubular garment rather than joining pieces or other tubular garments as is done in the conventional construction of pantyhose, there is a need for more sophisticated garment structures embodying such a concept and avoiding the traditional, time-consuming cut and sew procedures heretofore prevalent in the industry. It is to this construction and need that the present invention is directed.